Upcoming Texas Rangers Schedule Full of Last-Place Teams

The Texas Rangers, riding high after a series win against the Houston Astros, have a stretch of three upcoming series that appear very winnable.

After a 9-1 thrashing of the defending World Series champion Houston Astros on Sunday, the Texas Rangers surged to 9-6 and first place in the American League West. 

Yes, a 15-game stretch doesn’t define an entire season. But look at the upcoming schedule, the Rangers have a terrific chance at expanding their lead in the division. The Rangers will open a three-game series on the road against the Kansas City Royals (4-12) on Monday at 6:40 p.m.

The Rangers took two of three against the Royals at Globe Life Field earlier this month.

Then comes a three-game series against the 3-13 Oakland Athletics. Texas will follow with the Cincinnati Reds (6-9) for three more games.

That trio of upcoming foes are currently sit in last place in their respective divisions.

This nine-game stretch will come before a crucial four-game series against the New York Yankees. 

If the Rangers can go at least 6-3 or better, they can create some space between them and the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels and Astros. In order to become legitimate, you have to beat weaker teams. That’s the Rangers’ task over the next three series. 

“We came into the season saying, ‘Hey, we're a better club,’” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said after Sunday’s win over the Astros. “We played well. We have to play well to beat them. They're world champs, that shouldn't be a big surprise. They've dominated a lot of teams, and that's how good they are.

“It’s a great start and hopefully these guys – and I'm not gonna say hopefully – I think they know that if you play like you're capable of playing, they can play with anybody."

Over the course of a marathon 162-game schedule it’s difficult to always carry over positive momentum. On paper, it looks like the Rangers should win the majority of the next nine games.

Yet that doesn’t always happen .If this group of Rangers is indeed playoff-worthy, they must start dominating teams with losing records.

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